A chance meeting on the grounds of Killarney Mountain Lodge and now I am the proud owner of that beautiful painting! Thanks John Maurer for gifting me with such a special memory of my Northern Ontario travels!

Ok, while I did call this a chance meeting, I think it was rather fateful.

John channels a well-known Group of Seven painter in his Tom Thomson 100 project, Over a five year period that ends on the one hundredth anniversary of Thomson's passing, John will produce 100 pieces that emulate and interpret a selection of his work. That's five years of great reasons to set up his easel among the granite outcrops and windswept trees of Killarney.

Similarly I showed unusual dedication to spending time in this wilderness. You try five hours in a car with a teen and a tween and you'll understand! It all started with a trip to the McMichael Canadian Art Gallery and full immersion in Group of Seven masterpieces. Then another trip to share these beautiful works with my children. And finally, as the leaves started to turn I knew the only backdrop that would do for Canada's glorious fall colours, was - again - the granite outcrops and windswept trees of Killarney.

A privilege to have met this talented artist, and to have shared our love of the north. Stay tuned for 2017 and John's Tom Thomson 100 exhibits to be held across Georgian Bay, Muskoka, Algonquin, plus one right here at Killarney Mountain Lodge.